Categorywine Archives - WCI Blog

What better way to celebrate the Christmas holidays than hosting a wine-themed party? If your family and friends are certified winos like yourself, this is definitely the direction to take. So we’ve put together some fresh ideas on throwing a really memorable holiday party:

Throw a winter wonderland wine party…

This is a really fun concept that a lot of your guests will surely enjoy. Sure, the “ber” months can be horribly cold, but don’t let that dampen the mood. In fact, you can use it to make your holiday party more enjoyable. Let’s start with the decor. Go all out and all-white! Change your drapes, tablecloth, and throw pillow covers into snowy white ones. Put white tea light candles in glass containers in strategic corners in your home. Add some dashes of silver by incorporating tinsel and silverware into your table setting. Next, bring out some white wine and champagne. Complement the drinks with “white” hors d’oeuvres, like Asiago cheese, Camembert, and white chocolate.

Try hosting a holiday “mystery party”…

Mystery parties are all the rage. But instead of a murder or haunted theme, go for a positive one to raise the holiday spirits. And what better way to do it than having a “mystery wine” party! Wrap some mystery packages and put them on a table. Set up clues for each one. You can have your guests work in pairs or groups. The goal is to work out the clue and match it with the correct package. Each one will lead to another, with the last package being the mystery wine. Prepare a prize for the winner and be creative with it as well. It doesn’t have to be expensive at all!

Turn it into a “DIY cocktail” Christmas party…

Here’s something really fun and interactive. You can host a DIY cocktail party for Christmas for your family and friends. Naturally, you have to make sure that everyone is of legal drinking age. You can request your guests to bring a bottle (or bottles) of their favorite wines (and other liquor/beverages). Set up a mini bar in your dining area or other part of the house you might see fit. Don’t forget to augment the drinks with “extras” like fruit juices, cream, sliced lime, lemons, or other fruits. Print out easy cocktail recipes for your guests to try out. You can also have mocktail options for the non-drinkers. Of course, it goes without saying that everything should be done in moderation. ^_^

A wine tasting party for All Hallows Eve? We’re definitely saying yes to that! But how do you host a fun and memorable wine tasting party amidst all those other Halloween parties? Well, for one thing, it’s not a competition. So focus not on impressing your guests but on how to give them an enjoyable experience. Here are some tips to hosting a spooktacular one:

Plan it out with your family or friends

If you’re married, or you have a family, or you live with roommates, it’s always a good idea to sit down together and plan things out. That way, you will be able to pool all your ideas and come up with the best party plan. It’s especially so if there will be quite a bit of age variety with your guests. For example, if you’re hosting a family-based party, where will you put the kids while the adults do the wine tasting? How will you keep them entertained? If it’s a strictly adult affair, how will you accommodate the non-drinkers? And how about those experiencing wine tasting for the very first time? With others contributing valuable input, your party will definitely be an awesome one.

Decide on a theme carry it out well

Obviously, it’s going to be a Halloween-themed party. But narrowing it down to something more specific will make things go more smoothly. It will help you decide on the best menu for both the wine and food. You will also be able to choose the most appropriate decor, as well as invitations. Moreover, it will give your guests a better guide on how they should dress up for your party. They key to deciding on a theme is to consider your resources and that of your guests as well. Do not go for anything elaborate if either you or your guests will not be able to meet it.

Follow a solid timeline for your party

Time is always an indispensable factor to the success of any party. It doesn’t matter if it’s a formal or informal one. If you want to make it an enjoyable one, free from stress and other worries, managing a solid timeline is essential. It’s especially the case with a Halloween party. Lots of people will be hosting the same kind of event. So the first thing you should do is notify your guests at least 4-6 weeks prior. Don’t forget to ensure an RVSP deadline. Finalize your wine and food list as early as possible. Purchase the “essentials” at least a month before. There is little room for compromise on “essentials.” Last but not the least, prepare your decor ahead of time and put everything in place the night before the event. ^_^

Halloween night is still weeks away, but planning early for your Halloween party is always a good idea. Apart from your food and wine menu, you should definitely think about providing some entertainment. If you’re going to have a good number of guests, an icebreaker or two is in order. Here are some fun wine games you can try out:

The Blind Man’s Wine Challenge

This is quite a heavy favorite with a lot of wine tasting parties. There’s a general set of rules, but you can modify the game to suit the party mood. The great thing about this is that both beginners and expert wine tasters can participate. So if you have a mixed crowd, this will help to put everyone at ease and enjoy the rest of the night. Prepare several bottles of wine (make them as varied as possible), blindfolds, adhesive labels, and markers. You will also need some disposable cups, paper and pencil for each guest, and a list of wines. Cover the wine bottles with adhesive labels and number them. Put the corresponding numbers on the cups as well. Each guest should have a cup for each bottle of wine. Hide the wine bottles and when your guests arrive, give each of them a blindfold. Give each guest the first cup, and have them the wine. Read off a list of the wines the guests are tasting, and have them write down their best guesses. Once everyone has tasted all the cups and put down their guesses, the blindfolds are removed. It’s time to check who identified the most number of bottles correctly!

Guess The Number Of Corks/Caps

This game is easy to prepare and won’t give any of your more experienced guests an upper hand. Prepare two or three transparent glass jars of varying sizes. Fill them up with wine bottle corks or caps. Put a sheet of paper and pen in front of each jar. As your guests arrive, have them write down their guesses for each jar on the paper, next to their names. Don’t forget to prepare some nice “prizes” for the winners. The one who can make a guess closest to the number of corks/caps inside the jars wins. There will be one winner for each jar!

Wine Toss With A Twist

Wine Toss is always a fun way to loosen everyone up. But instead of the usual wine toss, try putting a twist into the game to make it more challenging. Here’s how it goes! First, set up some empty wine bottles and divide your guests into two (or three) groups. Each group will receive the same number of rings. As the host, you will read off some trivia questions. Your guests will try to toss the rings into the wine bottle which they think is the correct answer. The catch? Once a group runs out of rings to toss, they can’t answer any more questions. So they have to be careful not to waste a lot of rings on just one question. Naturally, the group with the most number of correct answers wins! ^_^

Christmas eve dinner will certainly be always a special occasion. Whether you celebrate it with family and friends, with your special someone, or with a huge gathering of people, it will always be loads of fun. And one of the truly enjoyable moments actually come during the preparation stage. That’s right! Setting up the Christmas table and thinking of all the ways you can make it beautiful is definitely an activity to look forward to. With Christmas eve only a few days away though, the nerves can get a bit frazzled along the way. So we thought we’d lend a helping hand with some of these fun table preparation concepts:

Incorporate “natural” touches

This year, “all-natural” has become one of the biggest buzzwords for almost anything. Food, drinks, toiletries, make-up, fashion – you name it. People have been leaning more and more towards “all-natural” ingredients in almost anything. So why not bring these “all-natural” touches to your Christmas table as well! Decorate your table with fresh greenery such as pine with sprigs of holly for that holiday flavor. Instead of vases, try bowls filled with fresh salad greens and topped with fruit. They will make great appetizers as well. Also, instead of the usual china or crystal setting, switch it up with wooden plates and bowls.

Go for “bold and vibrant” decor

It’s the holidays, people! Get out of your comfort zone and instead of the usual elegant (spell, stiff!) decor, glassware and cutlery, go for something bold and vibrant. It will actually prove to be a nice change and will help give off a relaxed and cozy atmosphere. Colorful, mismatched glassware, decorative plates, printed table runners and napkins – these say one thing: fun, fun, fun. You can also add some quirky little presents for your guests such as holiday poppers or tiny boxes of liquor-filled chocolates.

Overdecorate to spell “abundant”

What better time than Christmas dinner to literally go all out with food, drinks, and of course, presents? Make this Christmas eve dinner one of the most memorable ones by making your table exude an air of abundance. Overdecorating is the key. Go for large blooms for your centerpiece. Trot out large candles and candle holders, oversized bowls and serving platters, and pile on the holiday greenery such as pine and junipers. Turn your table into a grazing table chock-full of aperitifs – fruits, nuts, cheeses, cupcakes, crackers and more. We guarantee an air of festivity like no other!